Temptation
I've been bitten by the motorcycle bug for some time now. I've pretty much convinced myself that it's not financially feasible to buy one right now - at least not while I'm still in school.
Yeah, like that does anything to abate the urge...
I've thought mostly about a "dual-sport" bike. Essentially, it would give me the ability to take the bike off pavement.
Being nerdy like I am, of course I'm stuck on BMW's R1200 GS - much like the R1150 GS Adventure that Ewan "Obi-Wan" McGregor and Charley Boorman rode around the world in "Long Way Round."
What? It retails for just under $15,000? Well, that takes care of that urge...
Then there's Kawasaki's KLR 650. Retailing under $6000, it's a little more realistic for me...
Then I did some fuzzy math: Once I finance the bike, I'm going to pay more than $6000. It'll be closer to $10,000 by the time principal and interest are paid off. (No, I didn't go through the payment schedule at a certain percent interest for so-many months. That's a big-pallpark figure. Sue me.) I'd easily spend a grand on accessories, helmet, jacket, gloves, etc. etc. etc. We'll stick with $10,000 for the whole kit just for argument's sake.
Let's say it costs $75 to fill the tank in the unarmored personnel carrier I currently drive. By the time I would pay off the Kawasaki, I could fill my tank 133 times.
Since I carpool to school and therefore only drive once out of every four trips to campus, and I live 5 minutes from work, that just doesn't add up. Even with my current vehicle's breathtakingly bad gas mileage, I don't fill up enough to warrant a new vehicle of any kind, much less one with the dubious practicality of a motorcycle.
Now, will that rationale hold up once I'm working full-time as an RN? Time will tell. The daydreams I've been having about kicking up dust on twisty gravel mountain roads or hitting the curves on the Tail of the Dragon with HODAR may get the best of me yet.
Historically, a full-time salary has had a decidedly detrimental effect on my ability to be frugal...
Yeah, like that does anything to abate the urge...
I've thought mostly about a "dual-sport" bike. Essentially, it would give me the ability to take the bike off pavement.
Being nerdy like I am, of course I'm stuck on BMW's R1200 GS - much like the R1150 GS Adventure that Ewan "Obi-Wan" McGregor and Charley Boorman rode around the world in "Long Way Round."
What? It retails for just under $15,000? Well, that takes care of that urge...
Then there's Kawasaki's KLR 650. Retailing under $6000, it's a little more realistic for me...
Then I did some fuzzy math: Once I finance the bike, I'm going to pay more than $6000. It'll be closer to $10,000 by the time principal and interest are paid off. (No, I didn't go through the payment schedule at a certain percent interest for so-many months. That's a big-pallpark figure. Sue me.) I'd easily spend a grand on accessories, helmet, jacket, gloves, etc. etc. etc. We'll stick with $10,000 for the whole kit just for argument's sake.
Let's say it costs $75 to fill the tank in the unarmored personnel carrier I currently drive. By the time I would pay off the Kawasaki, I could fill my tank 133 times.
Since I carpool to school and therefore only drive once out of every four trips to campus, and I live 5 minutes from work, that just doesn't add up. Even with my current vehicle's breathtakingly bad gas mileage, I don't fill up enough to warrant a new vehicle of any kind, much less one with the dubious practicality of a motorcycle.
Now, will that rationale hold up once I'm working full-time as an RN? Time will tell. The daydreams I've been having about kicking up dust on twisty gravel mountain roads or hitting the curves on the Tail of the Dragon with HODAR may get the best of me yet.
Historically, a full-time salary has had a decidedly detrimental effect on my ability to be frugal...
posted by Alpineman, RN at 1:31 PM
1 Comments:
Shew... at least I have some time yet to legally take away all independent financial decisions... =)
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